‘World War Z’ trailer: Brad Pitt battles zombies at end of the world

Fans who were disappointed that the release of Paramount’s big screen version of “World War Z” was delayed from December to next summer might have reason to feel some cheer.

A gripping first trailer (below) for the Marc Forster-directed adaptation of Max Brooks’ acclaimed zombie novel was just released, and the clip plays like a taut thriller that taps into modern fears about the fall of mankind and the ongoing fascination with the idea of the zombie apocalypse.

“World War Z” stars Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, a United Nations fact-finder and family man who desperately races around the globe to determine the origins of a zombie pandemic that has toppled civilization in short order. Mireille Enos, of late of “The Killing,” stars as his wife.

Forster was an interesting choice to direct; he boasts an eclectic resume that includes acclaimed dramas, popcorn fare and at least one quirky comedy – he’s made movies such as “Monster’s Ball,” “Finding Neverland,” “Quantum of Solace” and “Stranger than Fiction.” The “World War Z” clip suggests the film has taken shape as a fast-paced action adventure with the geographical scope of a Bond movie, and some zombies that move much more quickly than their undead counterparts on “The Walking Dead.” Think “28 Days Later” rather than George Romero.

Forster and Paramount Pictures have said that they view “World War Z” as the beginning of a trilogy — it certainly seems to touch on the same end-time zeitgeist as AMC’s hit zombie series, and should the movie connect with fans as strongly as Brooks’ novel did, the studio could be looking at a brighter future than the one depicted in the story line.

For those not eager to wait until next year to see Pitt onscreen, his film, “Killing Them Softly,” in which he plays an underworld hit man, opens in theaters Nov. 30.